


Against The Laws Of Nature

by SharkyIsSnarky



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Crack Treated Seriously, Discord's Crowning Trashfire, I swear he gets to be ragdoll man eventually, Izuna Lives 2kforever, Leg jokes, MadTobiKaku, You get cool powers only to lose them eventually my dude, is this really how I die?, mostly - Freeform, that's the rules, the outline disagrees, they are hired killers after all, this was supposed to be a cracky oneshot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-07-14 20:15:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16047773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SharkyIsSnarky/pseuds/SharkyIsSnarky
Summary: Kakuzu didn’t give a shit about kind. He had grown up in a time that rewarded kindness with blood and altruism with pain and he’s seen the world for what it is since he was old enough to know what a scream is. He trusted money, he trusted his own mind, and he trusted that people would always need something done in a manner that ended up on the wrong side of petty morality. However, the Senju aren't exactly playing coy with their finances and he needs his feet further under him.Aka: the one where Kakuzu is hired to help get Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Madara to get along and it works perhaps a little too well.





	1. Frozen, lakes lift in their beds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KiroSveta](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiroSveta/gifts), [mutemelody](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mutemelody/gifts), [Pomfry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pomfry/gifts), [LunarCatNinja](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunarCatNinja/gifts), [SmilingCheshire](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmilingCheshire/gifts), [beetlebee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/beetlebee/gifts).



> Suggested ship names included but not limited to: Scientific Funding Goes Boink, Thread Zombies, alls fair in love and science, and OT3: Edo Tens-nay.
> 
> I'd blame the Disastrous Discord, but let's be real: I am doing this to myself I cannot foist off the blame on this one.
> 
> Chapter titles, because this is already spiraling wildly out of my control, are from Neal Bowers' _Laws of Nature_

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The itty bitty test snippet. Hashirama did not think this through. Kakuzu is in over his head, Madara won't know what hit him for once, and Tobirama won't be able to run from this.

Kakuzu was still unsure how a few small-scale, well paying, information-based missions had ended up with a request in Konoha of all places, much less how he warranted who met him at one of the only two bars in the newly established village.  
  
"You want me to what now?" The man, Hokage as the village styled him, grinned back at him like the worst kind of sucker.   
  
"I need your help getting my brother and Uchiha Madara to get along."   
  
If the pay weren't so good Kakuzu would have come to his senses at that moment and left never to return, he would have found his way to Taki and eventually returned for Hashirama’s head. But this world was, according to some perspectives, a kinder one.   
  
Kakuzu didn’t give a shit about kind. He had grown up in a time that rewarded kindness with blood and altruism with pain and he’s seen the world for what it is since he was old enough to know what a scream is. He trusted money, he trusted his own mind, and he trusted that people would always need something done in a manner that ended up on the wrong side of petty morality. However, the Senju aren't exactly playing coy with their finances and he needs his feet further under him.   
  
God fucking damn it. Okay, apparently he would be playing matchmaker. 

First off, he quickly realized that with the size of the clans these men came from he couldn’t think of them as Senju and Uchiha or he’d rapidly go crazy. This wasn’t his favorite thing. Names closed distances, they allowed comradery. He had left that behind him when he left his birthplace. However, he could survive thinking of such men on personal terms until his mission was over. It was an incentive, complete your job and not only do you get paid but you also get your distance back.

Secondly, he realized the Hokage was wildly biased and his intel was, therefore, all but useless to Kakuzu. Great.  
  
At least, even in places that turned the way of the world upside down, Kakuzu had to do everything himself. And where there was consistency there was comfort to be found.


	2. And jars too full of fluid crack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakuzu meets half of his new problems. It goes about as well as you might expect.

Hashirama laughs louder than the thunder brewing outside, and it makes Kakuzu's head ache with how it bounces around the tiny smoky bar. He learns that this little village is a satellite location which seems absurd, it's a large enough place, the only places larger that he's seen are the civilian cities that the Daimyo are so proud of. Kakuzu is tense in his chair, the night is young, but he is not. ~~Despite the way he knows himself to be barely younger than the Hokage in terms of age Kakuzu grew quickly, he doubts he was ever truly allowed to be young.~~ Yet he stays.

“Get along” wasn't really exactly the right wording for what Hashirama was after. It's more that Hashirama needs someone to act as a buffer since Tobirama and Madara are two of the best ninja they have and are often required to field missions together. “They get the job done, but the _clients_ -” the Hokage says trying to word it kindly “The clients see them on edge, other clans see them on edge. It's not the image the village needs right now. I'd have asked one of our own but there's history, and everyone in this part of fire country has a history with one of us. So I chose you.”

“Me.” Kakuzu intones flatly. “Senju, I'm a bounty hunter. A now clanless bounty hunter. I know my own reputation, the northern jungles call me the Miser of Death. I'm not exactly the obvious choice to put two people at ease.”

“Tobirama nearly killed Madara's brother.” The Hokage says and for the first time tonight it's flat and bitter rather than boisterous or petulant. “It was so close but he lived, even if he'll never fight again. Tobirama and Madara are not gentle men, nor are they patient. Something new, even if it scares them at first might break them out of their cycle. Otherwise, at this rate, they might kill one another and we've all buried enough friends and family.”

There's more to the story, but Kakuzu doesn't push. Besides if he's honest the Hokage's honesty is disconcerting. He's used to secrets and barriers, meeting someone who willingly has so few confuses him, with the addition that those words sting so damn much so he elects to move on without comment.

They have to do this properly and plan this out. The village is young and outsiders are a security risk. If Kakuzu is to complete his mission he cannot simply hide and observe without interaction before he engages with the situation. With two seasoned veterans as his observation targets, Kakuzu knows he'll be attacked first with questions a distant second. Not 'if', it would be a 'when'. So Hashirama suggests the most obvious choice, one so obvious Kakuzu overlooked it and could kick himself: just walk in through the gates as a guest.

The Hokage thinks in broad strokes, wide plans and clearer paths envisioned than most people Kakuzu has met, but he also does not sweat the smaller details. Good tactician in the short term but terrible with strategy. He isn't stupid he decides, but Hashirama is difficult to decipher for him. Such cheer is alien in a ninja. Luckily for both of them, Kakuzu can provide that side of the proceedings. It's refreshing not to be working for a civilian once again even if the job itself is inane. Kakuzu hasn't been lonely but speaking and planning with someone who simply gets what being a Shinobi actually involves on a day to day basis is refreshing. No assumptions his abilities are magic, he's able to get some information he actually can use buried under the sentiment, it's a change just to have someone to bounce ideas off of for the coming weeks.

What they need is a reason for him to be in the village in the first place. He needs freedom of movement, and if he can bring in some money on the side while also benefiting Hashirama's village, well he's not going to complain. He has no loyalties elsewhere so what danger does he face by building goodwill?

A day later Kakuzu follows the directions Hashirama left, encountering a tiny group of bandits before he took to the trees. Unlike the boiling humidity of Taki No Kuni locking it onto his hands, there's a strong breeze from the receding storm blowing the smell of blood away, ruffling his too-long hair before he suddenly sees a towering white wall where the next patch of trees should be. He rapidly kicks back and skids to a stop along a bough before allowing a small bit of awe. Some parts are still rough like they're fresh from a jutsu but the scale is absurd. Kakuzu has no skill with Doton, but he has fought enough Doton users to know this is not the work of one ninja at once, and certainly, the ones working in unison are not weak, it's solid and thick. Though the time it took to construct must have been substantial, weeks judging by the way pale wall stretches out beyond his sight. He follows the wall south for the majority of the morning, going slow as he feels what must be the famed Senju sensors prodding at him. They're not being subtle, that's for damn sure. One won't back off and it's like it wants him to know he's watched going by the chill tendrils of chakra that brush his awareness. For once Kakuzu opts to be impressed rather than annoyed because that hints neither at paltry control nor insubstantial chakra reserves. He even has his suspicions as to who his distant observer is, but it will serve nobody well to guess with so few facts.

He draws around a bend and feels a few minor ninja nearby but they are inconsequential when he spots two figures before towering red gates. One is familiar, the Hokage is dressed in the robes of his office and he almost snorts. White walls are one thing but white clothing is a statement for a ninja, either an arrogant boast or a deadly promise that an attacker couldn't sully their clothes, much less kill them. The new figure is shorter than them both and dressed darkly by contrast.

That is how Kakuzu ends up bored outside the village gate as Hashirama explains the new highly skilled unknown quantity that stands across from them to a man Kakuzu rapidly decided he wanted to punch in the mouth. Kakuzu's mask keeps the sneer invisible yet Madara still picks up on his disdain, but that's hardly a difficult task. The observing chakra is still there and flickers between all three of them but either Madara and Hashirama are not sensitive enough to feel it or they are used to it which just further supports his theories.

“Even I can’t be everywhere at once Madara. We need allies while we continue construction, no matter how temporary.” The Hokage says sunnily as his chief councilor gapes and sputters. It makes a certain amount of sense. No clan means no preexisting loyalties. And it’s even true so long as their money is good. “Kakuzu is well known to the north. He can help handle some of our problem spots in a duo or a team without the friction that exists between our clan members.” Sense never encountered an Uchiha it didn't screw over though. Madara is huffing and sputtering at the Hokage, but still aware of his surroundings. His eyes never shift from Kakuzu for long and his hands are free of the wide Yukata sleeves he's wearing, leaving him with a good range of movement. The man is an arrogant annoyance, but at least he's not blindly trusting.

“You idiot,” Madara seethes and under the killing intent, Kakuzu can almost taste the smoke and ash. “How can you trust rumors right now? This is our village, our clans on the line. He just showed up out of nowhere!”  
  
“I was invited,” Kakuzu interjects flatly

“Stay out of this! You're a security risk!” Madara turns his ire on Kakuzu. “How do I know you aren't going to take some sort of revenge on our clans?”

“I’m an independent contractor, your petty little clan war isn’t something that so much as touched me before.” and he sees Madara seethe. For all that he’s claiming to support peace the man is prideful, he likes his power even if the results of using it on a large scale are undesired. Kakuzu can… appreciate that. The fire, the skill, and dedication needed to reach that level, it’s worth appreciating. And feeling it directed at him not only is giving him the information he needs but it’s thrilling in its own right. Perhaps that is what allows him the impulsive choice to release some of the killing intent that has saved him time and again from childhood.“Your precious Uchiha Clan isn't so important that I had to give a shit before I was invited. You didn't hire me, I don't have to answer to you.”

Madara moves like he's actually about to take a swing at him, temper flaring hot as Kakuzu's own. Time calms such things but Kakuzu has not had time to mellow and the thing in his chest roars in glee at the prospect of letting loose on someone who not only might deserve it but who might be able to withstand it.

“Face it Uchiha, even if you ever could have hurt me, you aren't worth the effort of revenge.”

“That's enough,” Hashirama says, stepping between them “Madara, you know I'm right.” That snarl he gets doesn't so much as shake the smile and is as good as Madara admitting defeat.

Kakuzu is petty enough to admit he looks forward to putting Madara in his place. The work will be long and involved but the results will be worth both the effort and the fat paycheck at the end of this. The thought comforts him as he strides through the gate, at Hashirama's side, with night-black eyes trying to cut their way to his heart as he walks away.

 


	3. Something to do with air and molecules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ay yo Kishimoto, buddy, I see you killed Izuna off but I'm gonna go with No on this one. He's a good boy and deserves better. 
> 
> In retaliation I'm gonna take the world you kinda shrugged at and shove some worldbuilding up in there, especially about Mean Money Grandpa's Backstory.
> 
> Kakuzu is very tired okay. I'm very tired. Everyone except Hashirama and Izuna are tired and Hashirama was fighting me for screen time. I think I won in the end but WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?
> 
> Discord are all enablers and if I didn't love them so much I'd be worried.

Kakuzu was not sure what he expected but he rapidly has to reassess the time it took to build that border wall. There must be one way complex suppression seals the likes of which Kakuzu has never seen but has heard bitched about endlessly. The minute he's through the gate he's inundated with chakra, a few bits are directed at him but most of it is racing through the air as shinobi turn their war hardened techniques towards the mundane task of building. A burst of heat directly to the right blooms across Kakuzu's awareness as a few Uchiha melt iron beams into the bones of a building. Others stoke forges for what appear to be nails and metal fittings for various uses. There's a flock of minor client clans jumping and clambering across the new buildings of this main thoroughfare. In the distance a woman with the Senju crest on her back and her hair in a high topknot holds a massive support beam steady as her companions pour what looks like liquid stone around it.

 

It's impressive, and surprisingly cost-effective if Kakuzu's guess is right. Even tired and already irritated as he is he gawks a bit like when he had first seen the ocean as a child. It is oddly breathtaking. In the corner of his vision The Hokage grins and Kakuzu realizes he must not have managed to keep the awe entirely from his eyes. Though if ever awe was deserved perhaps this would be a place worthy of that honor.

 

"Let me show you where you'll be staying, then I can introduce you to Tobirama. He's likely busy with project proposals now but I'm sure he won't mind if we slip in for the last few!" The chakra that has followed Kakuzu twines around The Hokage like a cloak, subtle enough that maybe some others might miss it but he certainly won't, and from how it slots into place in The Hokage's space Kakuzu is eager to see if that's the case. Just to test his theory.

 

Senju Hashirama is a talker, and leads him around, discussing pleasantries and asking unique but impersonal questions about the jungles he grew up in. The man was a born diplomat, making Kakuzu's naturally dry and sarcastic behavior seem charming rather than boorish. As they walk through the village Kakuzu observes. And they do truly walk, there is no taking to the numerous trees still around the rapidly expanding village, no leaping along rooftops, not even a hint of speed. At first Kakuzu doesn't know why but indulges his employer, then he sees a few pale-faced and sun-kissed children nearly knock The Hokage to the ground to say hello before darting off. Some of the lesser clans wander over as they journey to say hello and tell The Hokage about some minor issue (a few of them don't bother to say the actual problem and rather hand over notes with the Kanji for Tobirama's name on the outside) and Kakuzu is right there as they do. A few Uchiha wave or greet them surprisingly earnestly, but there's a flood of Senju clan members at all times. To put it bluntly this is _exhausting_.

 

He gets stares and awkward hellos and everything in between, but throughout it all they can watch. He hates the way he's buffeted by chakra they think they are using to surreptitiously observe him. He feels every instance and it screams danger, hide, _hide, **hide**_.

 

He's not from Fire Country where the clans level forests and fight in glades or fields on massive scales. Kakuzu is from a land of heat wave fog and dense brush, where the clans fight with each other quick and dirty using guerilla tactics and sabotage. His clan may not have had the flashiest gifts to grace it's children with, but to feel when foreign chakra interacts with his own has saved him more than once in his life. Now however it grates at him, he's not a sensor himself but it's close enough he's aware this will be more than a bit stressful until he adjusts, and he will have to adjust, unlike sensor techniques his clan traits don't come with an off switch. To make matters worse he's still jumpy from his short but explosive first encounter with Madara so he is perhaps more on edge than he would otherwise be, but regardless of the reason his nasty habit of more than average shinobi paranoia is resurfacing. Being seen is a precursor to death, but here his dumb ass is being seen with-

 

_The underhanded son of a bitch is letting him be seen._

 

Kakuzu realizes it in a flash. He's not just showing Kakuzu the village, he's also showing the village _Kakuzu_. This is just as much to show he's here with the Hokage's knowledge and blessing as it is to get Kakuzu to whatever place he'll be staying. Well that certainly is one way to do it.

 

Suddenly he can force himself to settle. It's a part of the job now, it makes sense in its own stupid way. It's no different from a bodyguard mission, be visible security and deter danger that way. He's worked a few of those before, his height, his reputation, and his eyes, all lead civilians to fear him and cast him for such a position even if his true skills lie elsewhere.

 

Gods help anyone who thinks Hokage Senju Hashirama isn't actually remotely capable when he tries to be.

 

They wind their way through finished buildings, temporary structures, and what appears to be a massive open air kitchen. There's a labyrinth of the detritus of life between them and their goal. He sees it long before they arrive, but they end up at a massive structure with no ongoing construction that looms like a giant pillar over the growing village. It's odd from a distance, unnaturally smooth and a bright, bright red color. At first he thinks it's a silly thing but when they draw closer he realizes that the entire thing is radiating the same weird chakra as the Hokage. Then he sees no seams and realizes this isn't a weird Senju thing. Well he suppose it technically is but it's less of a weird Senju thing than a weird Senju Hashirama thing. This entire building is the product of mokuton, and it is a threat and a promise all in one. Konoha's face is a sleeping dragon and if it came down to it... Kakuzu for the first time is aware exactly how unsure he is about being able to take the man in a fight.

 

He hopes he never finds out.

 

They walk in and this building seems to welcome its creator, reaching with the energy he gave it, and it's very much alive. Combined with the still present sensor's attention it's enough to keep him itchy and cranky. Next to him the Hokage natters on about how the first child to be born in the village is due any day now, about the ongoing mahjong tournaments with a steadily growing grand prize (something to remember for later) but Kakuzu has focused on the sheer number of people crammed in here

  
Older shinobi bustle back and forth with papers tucked under arms, at least ten teenagers of various clans are noisily bickering with each other as they sort through scrolls in a massive first floor room that could one day become a library. Stairs twine up and up and up eight stories tall and it echoes in here enough Kakuzu thanks the old gods he wasn't born to the Ginneko clan or the Hotaru of his homeland, if his slightly better than normal hearing is bad their enhanced senses would be overwhelmed in an instant.

 

There's a few floors of dignitary apartments, barracks for those without permanent housing yet, and childcare facilities of all things smashed together. A small but clean set of rooms with one hell of a view are his for the duration of this job, best of all it's free. The Hokage leads him to the 7th floor, one below his own office and apparently also his temporary residence, to find a set of filing rooms to be, meeting rooms, and one very noisy closed door. Three people at least and the room could easily house more based on the outer dimensions. The Hokage opens the door and the voices become clear enough to understand without focusing.

 

"We need to focus on building housing for now," Says a calm, cool tone. "Summer is coming and we keep getting more and more people arriving."

 

"And how do you think those raw materials are paid for, Senju? We need to divert some of our resources to taking more missions! Whatever, we can sort it out later. We need the other representatives anyways."

 

"Finally. Troublesome, both of you. Hashirama, good to see you, I'm going anywhere but here." A petite woman in combat gear shoves her way past Hashirama and down the hall, but not before her ink black eyes register Kakuzu, then move away. Whoever she is, Kakuzu likes her.

 

"Tobirama! How are the meetings going?" Kakuzu is all but tugged after the Hokage as they invade the large office where two men are still seated, with a forest's worth of paper spread between them. A wall of windows looks down on the main thoroughfare of the village and the room is big enough to be an office shared by three people with plenty of room to spare. As he sees the man with white hair look up his suspicions are confirmed when the sensor's chakra returns to buffet him in a pervasive chill that he hasn't been able to shake all day. It seems the younger Senju is quite the sensor.

 

"Over. What do you need, brother?"

 

"Just showing around a new friend. He's been contracted as independent security while we're still building." The Hokage grins sunnily. "I think he'd be a good fit for that mission to track down those bandits on the north road, maybe even that escort assignment a week from now."

 

"Brother," Tobirama sinks a hand between his eyes and presses down like he's getting a headache, but Kakuzu feels his chakra prodding at his skin, testing for changes in his mood. Now it's annoying rather than any sort of impressive. "You mean to tell me you took my very tired, bad, suggestion to hire mercenaries last month and decided to hire an unknown ninja to act as a third in my upcoming penance of escorting the Daimyo's sister to the capital. A task I'm undergoing with Madara?"

 

The dark-haired man begins to snicker in an unsubtle way at Tobirama's frustration.

 

"I thought you both could use a hand!" Even as new as he is to the situation Kakuzu wants to commiserate with this wraith of a man because his brother is a well-intentioned moron.

 

"You didn't tell either of them?" Kakuzu asks, leaning back against the nearby wall, arms crossed. "I get not telling the Uchiha, because he's an ass," the black-haired man breaks and begins wheezing in mirth. "But not telling your own brother?" The Hokage looks like a kicked puppy when nobody takes his side.

 

"Okay can we keep him? Please? I don't even know his name but we have to." Black hair gutters out between breaths.

 

"That is the stupidest fucking thing I have heard all-" Tobirama is actively sensing him again, the other man is grinning at his snappish tone but his eyes have spun to red, fully mature sharingan and Kakuzu's skin is crawling as suddenly the past few weeks begin to catch up with him. He's exhausted and road worn, he cannot help but feel every last push of chakra when people have directed it at him, and he has spent what feels like the whole day with other people, namely a chatterbox of a Hokage.

 

His temper flared against Madara and that wasn't great but it wasn't unforgivable because he was challenged. Anger here won't do anything but cause suspicion and ill will. He weighs his options and decides that he can take the path of least resistance, he can afford it. He shuts up and takes a breath, playing up his own frustration with exaggerated body language, a hand scrubbing down from forehead to chin in open exasperation. "Just... call me Kakuzu. I can guess you're Tobirama, who are you bright eyes?"

 

"Kakuzu," says the apparent Uchiha, and Kakuzu isn't blind so he can admit that mischief is an attractive look on him "I'm Izuna and I'm prepared to fucking adopt you into the Uchiha if that's what it takes for you to say that to Madara's face."

 

"No thanks, clans aren't really my thing, and if I joined the Uchiha I'd have to listen to that moron." He exaggerates a smile under his mask. "But I'll do it for 300 ryo." He would do it for free but why not try his luck?

 

"Done." Sucker. At least no matter how tired he is, he can take comfort remembering he will be paid for this, and if he succeeds he'll be set for three years at least if he's frugal. But then again Kakuzu is always frugal, and he knows a little extra never hurts.

 

"At least this one isn't blind to certain facts." Tobirama states distantly as they make their petty childish agreement. Part of Kakuzu wants to take him to task right here and now, for all the ways he's been pressing in past his boundaries, but there's another flicker of chakra that instead isn't so much interacting with as existing around him this time. It's not pushing or seeking out information, it simply is around him. And he flares his chakra just enough that the Senju gets the message. The Hokage and this Izuna also sense it and look a bit unsure what to expect. But Tobirama backs off entirety and Kakuzu can't hide his sigh of relief. There's a tiny twitch of Tobirama's lips like a cat that has found its way into an aviary. "You've been hired, already promised work, I'll honor your agreement on one condition."

 

"And what exactly will that involve?" God his fucking head feels so much better without that nonsense.

 

"Sparring. We can work the rest of it out from there."

 

"Ha! I knew you'd see it my way, brother!" And gods above and below the Hokage is sporting such a fucking older sibling look of smug superiority that Kakuzu wants to break his nose on sheer principal.

 

"Hashirama, you went behind my back and are proud of that. Get out of my sight for the next 12 hours or I will find the nastiest paperwork this mess of a settlement has to offer, make it worse, and Touka will force you to do it."

 

The Hokage is gone so quickly Kakuzu is honestly surprised it wasn't a body flicker. That leaves the three of them alone with two of them chuckling. Now Izuna smiles openly at Kakuzu, and honestly, here he thought Uchiha only came in dour or joyless personalities. "Well it looks like we'll be seeing you tomorrow then, Kakuzu."

 

"You're not sparring, Izuna." Tobirama says, shifting through papers and tucking them away. "Your leg isn't ready for combat no matter how often you try and convince me it is."

 

"Bullshit, I'm still perfectly capable of giving you a run for your money Senju." The joyful man is gone in a sudden wave of irritation. Suddenly Kakuzu is aware that there is history here.

 

"Absolutely not."

 

"I'm not dead yet. You can't use that bullshit excuse forever Tobirama."

 

"Your leg is-"

 

"If you're so focused on my leg you can fucking have it back!" And just like that a fully sized prosthetic made for a right leg with a missing knee-joint sails through the air. Tobirama of course dodges it. Kakuzu is more impressed that the Uchiha detached it so quickly. The sneer on his face is the most relatable emotion he has seen on anyone's face today. It is raw and frustrated, and it will not pretend to be otherwise. "There, you damn lab rat! It works, I'm fine. I will kill someone if I have another wizened clan elder call me retired, acting like I'll never do my duty again."

 

"Like it or not you're off duty for the foreseeable future." Tobirama squints at the limb in his hands, not reacting to this sudden rage as if he expected it. Instead he is turning the leg over and over like the swirling patterns are clear writing. "And this leg is damaged anyways. The relays engraved are chipped from just day to day use. You're not fighting on this, much less against me."

 

Izuna attempts to stand, as if he plans to continue this exercise in frostily delivered futility, but it seems to have escaped his notice that he threw his own prosthetic in a tantrum. He flails into the table corner as a result, and Tobirama disappears while the Uchiha is still swearing up a storm.

 

It does not escape Kakuzu’s notice that he took the leg with him.


	4. But We Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakuzu and Madara have a terrible field trip and Izuna does some yoga.

Kakuzu twists under a gout of water and fires off his own jutsu, a spear of low powered electricity jutting ahead. He prides himself on his control with his primary element, water is an old and dear friend with currents strong enough to rip away skin if he attempts it, but his secondary element is one so dangerous it can rarely be used in spars. Yet Kakuzu has mastered his lightning and can use it with pinpoint accuracy. Tobirama has to leap and propels himself back with another suiton fired off in mid-air, a sound of frustration ripping past the Senju's teeth. His preferred style of hand to hand leaves Kakuzu chasing him to close the distance but while he's best at ambush tactics or assassination Tobirama's experiences on a battlefield let him dodge every hit on an open training ground. The terms for victory are to the first blow, and the fact that Tobirama bends like that technically put the Senju at an advantage, but this is their third morning of sparring and he knows Tobirama vastly prefers long range attacks. Those kunai Tobirama tosses out barely need any effort to dodge. If Kakuzu can just-

Tobirama fucking _vanishes_ into thin air in a burst of light and reappears behind Kakuzu, a blade pressed to his spine and Kakuzu is annoyed to be bested but he also delights in having a challenge again. "Best three out of five?"

"If you tell me about that high-pressure shot I could be convinced."

"Oh, gods. Kakuzu, Senju, just kiss already." Calls out a new voice. There stand the Uchiha he actually somewhat likes (you cannot help a sarcastic and genuinely entertaining one legged asshole hop the three kilometers back to his clan's residence without building some affinity for them, no matter how tired you were) and The Asshole Uchiha. Izuna waves cheerfully and is dressed in thin clothing suited for high flexibility movement. Madara looks like he's ready to fight someone but isn't sure which of them to start with.

"Pay up, 5000 Ryo for a ticket," Kakuzu says flatly. Years of demanding mission fees from unwilling clients and keeping himself from laughing at some of the truly spectacular moments of idiocy let him enjoy the way Tobirama jerks letting out a faint snort of amusement while Izuna begins to guffaw and Madara turns as red as a Sharingan eye.

"Even if I wanted to watch, that price is-"

"Careful, insult fee brings it up to 6000."

"Bullshit!" Izuna accuses breathlessly, leaning on a tree to catch himself. "You'd have to pay me to watch that, not the other way around!" Kakuzu sighs and waves the Uchiha closer. Tobirama's expertise with the human body and the fact that all the medics fear Izuna is what has left him in the unlikely position of helping Izuna get his strength back. Madara has yet to miss a meeting these three days, eyes always sharp when his brother is handed off.

Kakuzu immediately collected his 300 Ryo bet the first day, with extra for added insults against Madara's person. Izuna was like Hashirama, genuinely hard to dislike, even if that is where their similarities ended. The man is his age and his anger is not something Kakuzu will accidentally set off, he's arrogant and witty, and there is loyalty carved into his very bones. He isn't weak or stupid and he's not willing to let the world throw him away due to an injury or failure: his tenacity is admirable. He's quick with a joke and has quite a capacity to forgive or at least try to forgive. There's no better proof of that than how he easily limps over to Tobirama while Madara watches on like a wrathful spirit.

He stretches to cool down after the sparring, the only time he'll willingly have his hair up and mask down, as he does he gives Madara a nasty smirk and mouths the word 'jackass' just to see that scowl. Petty? Perhaps. But even now he's able to see that having a second irritant has distracted him from Tobirama. He's a man who has tunnel vision and having two targets for that leaves him unable to focus on either. Even a newcomer like him can see Madara is a driven man who can tend to obsess. (His instincts in a fight would say to take out someone in Izuna's position first, then use his grief as an opening; yet something in him tells Kakuzu that such a tactic would end well for exactly nobody. Madara is the sort who would tear the world apart for the people he loves. Then again Tobirama is hardly better.)

The Senju is gifted and has his own absolutely _bonkers_ devotion to his brother's dream and this chance for a peace between old enemies. However, Tobirama has more barriers up emotionally than there are stars in the sky. Honestly if not for his clan's abilities and Tobirama's natural ability as a sensor Kakuzu might have thought the man was a chakra construct for all the emotion he shows. His unique circumstances perhaps give him a leg up, for all that Tobirama has kept a respectful distance with more probing sensor techniques he just seems to constantly be using passive awareness sensing. From that Kakuzu can feel certain spikes in intent, absences when he's focused elsewhere or lessened pressure when Tobirama splits attention. And Tobirama's attention laser focuses on Madara any time the two are together. Just by distracting Madara the tension seems to run out of Tobirama's body. If he's fuming at Kakuzu he's not looming over his brother like the dumb puffed up pigeon he is.

Madara, however, doesn't stay silent. Instead, he glowers and nods to the edge of the field. Kakuzu obliges, but slowly, meandering over as Izuna does fucking yoga with a focus on safely pushing what remains of his leg to strengthen. Madara is a bastard, and Kakuzu has said it to his face even if nobody else has, so he knows and can wait. Kakuzu still wildly enjoys any excuse to rile up this man.

"Well, Uchiha?"

"Hashirama wants us both to go out and handle a border incursion. They were spotted early this morning, if you can keep up we could get there by dusk." Kakuzu nods.

"What about the spoils they have?"

"Personal and family stolen items are returned." Kakuzu thinks of heirloom guides to creating chakra enhanced dart guns and his great grandfather's poison encyclopedia he painstakingly copied as a young boy; both lost somewhere in a jungle or devoured by flames. Luckily Madara doesn't slow down and keeps yammering. "Unidentifiable belongings and money that wasn't reported stolen are split 60-40 between the individual shinobi who recovers them and the village."

"That's generous."

"Unlike the idiot I know we actually need money for this village to work but taking it all won't win any favors." Madara sniffs enjoying a moment he can feel superior and for the first time, Kakuzu can see something more than just raw power lies under that mess of a mane. "Think you can manage it, outlander?"

"How many are we expecting?"

"13, but at least two are above average shinobi."

"I'll claim 7 of them in that case. 20 minutes and we meet at the gate?"  
  
"7?" Madara snorts "You'll never beat me with that attitude."

"We'll see who claims more this evening pretty boy," Kakuzu says flippantly with a sharp grin before leaving to gather his gear. He doesn't see the dull flush that ignites under Madara's Uchiha-pale skin, nor how he smiles: all teeth and narrowed ink black eyes, embers fanned into a blaze.  


* * *

 

 

Kakuzu watches Madara as he casually breathes a thin line of flame out and ignites the firewood they had gathered to burn the bodies. They are both relatively unharmed but honestly, it was a near thing. There were close to twenty enemies, and they were stronger than expected. It made little difference on the outcome, but Kakuzu is not thrilled by this lack of information.

Madara is very good at out and out combat but he's like the hawks Kakuzu has heard about, so intent on their targets they fly into rock walls. For lack of a better term, Madara plays with his food. He was so intent on toying with a ninjutsu specialist that he nearly was crushed by a trap one of the bandits set up towards their camp. Kakuzu saw the massive tree come down and glimpsed as Madara barely dodged it, leaving his sleeve shredded and the skin underneath with plenty of mostly shallow but painful looking cuts that sluggishly bleed even now. Though in the interests of fairness, Madara isn't the only one who needs some work.

Mentally reviewing the fight, Kakuzu finds that his stealth skills will need adjustment in this new setting. If he's going to be working with Madara and Tobirama he'll need to be sure to break off from them sooner so they don't give his position away. Honestly, Madara all but announced their presence and Kakuzu got stuck in the middle. He is strong but he vastly prefers not to have a fair fight and only three days of sparring with Tobirama has demonstrated the brute force Fire Country seems to specialize in producing, but it has not given him a chance to alter his tactics as a whole. His entire chest aches from the taijutsu specialist he ran afoul of early on. He'll be fine but that was not a hit he was prepared to take, they're all head on fighters here.

Though... the start was rough, but at one point their separate fights closed in, Kakuzu circled and Madara left him the perfect opening. He barely had to think before Kakuzu dove in with a crushing blow to the woman's ribs and slipped away as Madara released an inferno. After that, it was maybe not simple but it worked well. Fighting someone you're evenly matched against after so long is thrilling, but fighting in tandem with someone who can anticipate your moves and works alongside you is exhilarating. For a first test of the compatibility of their skills, it went very very well.

Madara saunters over to where Kakuzu is rifling through the collection of tents, crates, and other ill-gotten goods. He's been mostly just figuring out exactly what they have, Madara is the one with the list of items reported stolen and the amounts of money missing from the civilian population. Kakuzu means to ask for the scroll of information but what comes out of his mouth is "I got 12 of them."

"That is a dirty rotten lie!"Madara sputters and his voice jumps an octave. It's very, very amusing.

"I got the killing blow. That's what counts."

"You only got those strikes because I was the one who did the actual fighting!"

"And yet you didn't kill them, I did." This is a very nice broadsword. Well made and well maintained. If nothing else it'll fetch a high price. He holds out a hand without looking up from his pile and beckons. "Scroll."

"That is a pile of horseshit." He roughly shoves the scroll into Kakuzu's waiting palm. "No deaths as a result of teamwork count. Sound fair?" He drops to the ground and cracks open the box to Kakuzu's left. It's full of fabrics. They look like kimono but with how they're stored the only way to be sure is to remove them.

Kakuzu wants to maintain his blatantly superior score but he's still going to come out the victor on this one, he can afford to be magnanimous. It costs him nothing in the long run anyways. "Acceptable. Either stop bleeding all over everything or bandage that first."

Madara glowers and slams the lid of the kimono box before taking a kunai and cutting off what remains of his sleeve. As he begins aggressively cleaning his arm Kakuzu squints at the scroll, trying to force his brain to accept these characters as valid input. He has been reading the symbols the larger nations of the world use since he was around ten but sometimes when he's tired he longs for the looping interwoven script native to his homeland. It's functionally the same spoken language but when clan secrets have been documented and encoded in a single archaic writing system it's very hard to convince anyone to give the old ways up. Kakuzu mutters under his breath trying to find the gods damn sword anywhere on that list.

"What, are you blind?"

"I can read three separate writing systems," Kakuzu can feel his hackles go up at that tone and it seems they are back to square one. "Fuck off Uchiha I'm just tired."

"Three? So you have the standard Kana and Kanji?"

"Yes." It seems this was reported, pity. Ah well, a job is a job. Kakuzu pulls out a storage scroll, then stands and finds some clear ground to set it apart before wandering back.

"But they aren't your first language?"

"Not my first written language. I learned Taki's traditional script, then the standard system, and then that... Mess they use over in Iron Country." He squints at Madara's graceless attempts to apply bandages. "Are you trying to let dirt get in those injuries?"

"I'm sorry like you could do better?" Madara snaps and yanks the bandages out of place again. Kakuzu growls and shifts so he can snatch the linen from Madara's grasp. "Hey!"

"You didn't even clean these right." He looks up and arches an eyebrow at the clan leader. "You're an idiot."

"Unlike some people," the Uchiha has the haughtiest look on his fucking face right now "I don't need to wrap every tiny injury. I wouldn't even be wrapping this if it weren't for your delicate sensibilities." Kakuzu has unwrapped the arm and gets a closer look at it. It honestly isn't that bad, but he knows from experience that wounds might seem fine right afterward but tend to get infected or strained while traveling if you don't properly take care of them. Though he isn't sure Madara has ever been in a fight without a medic on hand nearby to handle the details for him. He tells Madara none of this and instead flares his chakra in one of the first techniques his father ever taught him, a ball of water spilling forth from his fingertips and pressing into the gashes. Madara yelps and starts to twist away but Kakuzu is quick with his work and retracts his hand and any impurities the technique found. He makes a pass over his own hands to clean them, the technique is already active so why not, then flicks the mess off his hand and into the trees where it bursts.

"That stings. What kind of a medic are you?"

"The kind that isn't an actual medic. What, do your country's healing techniques all feel like sunshine?"

"Well, they don't cause more pain than what they're treating." Kakuzu takes out a fresh roll of bandages and glowers at the waste from before. Honestly, if it wouldn't be counterproductive he'd use the old ones just to be spiteful. But he doesn't, instead, he applies a salve to avoid any sticking, applies the pads Madara forgot, and sets to work. Madara fidgets like he's never been bandaged before, Uchiha clan heir likely never let his body heal on its own in his entire life.

"I bet your medics don't even leave you scars, you're probably as unmarked as a civilian noble you pampered bastard."

"It's not pampered! A lack of scars shows prowess in battle!"

"A lack of scars shows a lack of experience." He feels Madara's shoulders tense and he layers the third pass of bandages smugly. Madara lacks major scars, the defining mark of adulthood for a shinobi where he comes from. Kakuzu knows after so long that their cultures see scars as different things, but it's hard not to feel superior. He's a survivor, and his body itself is proof of that.

"You mean to tell me your clan medics just leave the scars? Ah!" Madara whips his head down to glare "Not so tight!"

"You think I would be a wandering shinobi if I still had a clan?" Just like that any good mood he had was gone.

Kakuzu does not look up as he layers the bandage again, hands steady even if his temper isn't. Perhaps if he did he would see the suddenly stricken look on Madara's face at the word 'still' and all the implications that leaves hanging in the air, but Kakuzu does not. He finishes quickly, much faster than any time he has had to bandage himself up, and just to be contrary ties the end off in a bow. He then turns back to the list and buries himself in the impersonal work of sorting the loot.

They don't speak again until sundown when they have to pitch camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Madara you are so angry and Loud how do I write you???
> 
> I welcome constructive feedback and I'll try to reply to every comment. The sheer support I've gotten so far has been a joy! Here's to next chapter when all three of them finally get their three man mission.


	5. Too Late To Save

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's 1:30 am for me and Bullshit O'Clock in Konoha, but when isn't it? NEXT CHAPTER IS THE MISSION EVEN THOUGH I LIED TO YOU ALL EARLIER.

"I'm honestly not sure what you expect me to do, Izuna."

"You could, novel idea here, tell me what happened?" The Uchiha has taken up a seat next to Kakuzu on the grass during a break and they watch as Hashirama and Madara continue their match, restricted to kicks and far more difficult signless jutsu with their hands tied behind their backs. Watching Hashirama slide and all but dance atop living roots is strange but the way it frustrates Madara quickly makes the technique endearing. Tobirama meanwhile is meditating at least fifty meters behind them and far out of the blast radius. Yesterday, Madara tried to talk to Kakuzu when he escorted Izuna to his exercises, Kakuzu vanished leaving a sparking grid of senbon as a deterrent. Apparently, this resulted in Hashirama joining this ritual of theirs. With Madara focused on fighting his childhood friend the rest of them can actually be productive.

"Kakuzu, look he's been in a sulk since you came back from killing those bandits." He tosses a kunai into the air, catching it a split second before it hits the earth and repeating the process "I'm used to the hovering but not the moping."

"I gathered that was more the Hokage's purview in their friendship."

Izuna's face gives a tiny twist at the mention of the Hokage. Despite how the man is within sight he doesn't bother to hide his disdain. The Uchiha heir has had months of Tobirama's company and actually seems to like him, but any other Senju without fail manages to attract his ire.

Kakuzu has a theory that is because he sees Tobirama as a complex entity, with motivations and goals Izuna relates to, likes and dislikes, and the other Senju are just that. Senju; a faceless mob of a clan he's been fighting since he was first shoved onto a battlefield and is now expected to play nice with. (There's also the fact that Tobirama brought him low, bested him utterly, and if nothing else Izuna can respect skill. Kakuzu is holding off on really accepting this possibility for their budding acquaintanceship because then he also has to accept that perhaps Madara is the same. That would mean Madara is capable of respect outside a few select individuals, meaning Madara is possibly more than an irredeemable asshole. Which he isn't.)

"Just fucking tell me."

"He brought up a touchy subject. I stopped talking to him. Perhaps if I do the same to you you'll learn your lesson and drop it." Izuna gives a frustrated yelp and he throws himself dramatically into his back, heedless of the way he'll get dirt ground into a shirt that's likely worth more than all of Kakuzu's clothes combined.

"Kakuzuuuuuu."

"Pest."

"Tobiramaaaa," the white-haired man opens one ruby eye and it's full of derision at the whine in Izuna's voice "Kakuzu is being an ass!"

"I'm sure it's no less than you deserve." Tobirama deigns to let a small smile show, and Izuna immediately latches onto that., throwing an arm half over his eyes.

"Forsaken by all those in the world who matter to me. Fate is as cruel as the curse of my clan."

"You," Kakuzu snorts and watches Hashirama kick Madara in the gut with nothing short of glee "Are absolutely not cursed." Izuna is the son of the head family in a major clan, he's never doubted if there will be food, never had to leave everything behind, and save for when he opens his mouth is a fairly attractive man. There's no way he could be cursed. "Unless you mean you are the curse." Kakuzu senses the smack coming, and rather than dodge it, he simply takes the hit without moving before turning a smug grin on Izuna.

"Rude."

"There is no such thing as a curse. Every problem has an answer, everything has a weak spot, every victory has a cost. A curse," Kakuzu waves his hand as if clearing smoke "is nothing more than an excuse to whine."

"Though that is what Izuna specializes in." Tobirama says to much protesting. Then a moment of quiet dawns and Izuna is lost in thought. However, that doesn't last long before a wicked grin announces itself and Kakuzu is too slow to stop his new... acquaintance from piping up.

"Aniki! Come over here and back me up."

Madara immediately breaks off from The Hokage who actually looks somewhat winded, and bounds over with a scowl. Tobirama has gotten stiffer but he feels the sensor's chakra buffet against him rather than Madara. Likely gauging if he needs to move away from an impending fight. "Izuna, what's wrong?"

"These fools don't believe in the Uchiha curse."

"Curses are an excuse for the weak-willed and the desperate." Kakuzu hisses as he scrambles to his feet. "Now if you'll excuse me I need to sharpen my kunai again." And he flickers away in a wisp of steam he catches Izuna inarticulate yelp of frustration. It's an inelegant way to flee but Kakuzu doesn't fight the solution of simply walking away from a problem anymore. At least, his pride says, he hasn't lied about needing to do some maintenance regarding his weapons.

  
But Madara doesn't know how to leave well enough alone. Over and over they meet and every time-

"Talk to me." Madara demands across the pile of scrolls Kakuzu is helping Tobirama look through out of boredom. He is shoved away without a look.

"Talk to me." The other man repeats, stance aggressive as he blocks the stairs down the next morning. It's a show of dedication to wake up early enough to meet Kakuzu, but it's not impressive enough to make Kakuzu stay when he can turn around and avoid the situation entirely. At the first sound of Madara moving to follow he hurls himself off the railing and into the floor below before vanishing. Madara's attempts to preserve his dignity ensure that he does not follow.

"Talk to me-" Madara says, full of venom and frustration, as they leave their briefing on the route for the escort mission. The Hokage's concerned eyes follow as the door closes behind them.  
"I just talked to you."  
"That wasn't talking: It was politics, you money grubbing little-" Kakuzu leaves at a brisk walk before he shunshins away from the lunge for his shoulder and his temper manages to fray a bit closer to snapping.

Eventually, around noon Kakuzu feels a prickle like chilly water on his skin, not overwhelming but rather like a question. Kakuzu is prepared when the other man knocks at the door five minutes later and steps aside to let Tobirama in, traps disabled beforehand.

"Are you here to lecture me about the virtues of forgiveness and teamwork?" There's a snort from the shorter man.

"No that's why I keep Hashirama around."

"Then why are you here?"

"I'm here because I don't understand," Tobirama says calmly, selecting a spot on the floor before folding himself into a seiza that would have made his grandmother weep in joy to see. "I'm not here to reopen old wounds, but so I can avoid suffering the same fate as Madara."

"Which is?"

"The fate of a man who is going to spend all of next week feeling very awkward on our mission." Tobirama even smiles a bit. Kakuzu noticed a while ago that the wraith of a man may not overtly start trouble for the elder Uchiha, but he has a certain mischievous glint to his eyes when he's seen Kakuzu shut him down. "Izuna has been giving him something of a hard time for this it seems."

"Because the Uchiha knows some things are best left alone."

"No, he doesn't." Tobirama replies flatly.

"You're right. He doesn't." Kakuzu says before heavily sitting back down on the windowsill with his whetstone. It's methodical repetitive work but it requires attention even now to make sure the results are a flawless edge to the blades.

"I'm usually right. Now, while not having all the information is somewhat annoying, I'm mostly curious if you think this will effect ore professionalism on this mission."

Kakuzu wants to snap something nasty about how he's not the one who anyone should worry about, he can keep his mouth shut after all, but he stops short. He's never stayed in one place long enough to have things become awkward with someone he's supposed to work with. "I'm not sure. Shit."  
"You've been turning down his attempts to reach out rather spectacularly."

"You mean his attempts to make this worse?" Tobirama narrows those pretty eyes of his and makes a wondering noise. "What?"

"I'm not familiar with the etiquette for conflict resolution outside of fire country, but there's one way we tend to work out bad blood around here." Tobirama says, and Kakuzu can feel his chakra stretching through the building and moving beyond now that he's next to the source. "You could always do what Hashirama and I do."

"Get drunk?" Kakuzu guesses. What does this have to do with-

"Beat the living daylights out of each other."

"Very funny, I'd like to not make this worse." Kakuzu grumbles, he's got the blade at a good angle, now to just keep it up. He glances up and Tobirama actually looks baffled. "What?"

"Why would that make it worse?"

"Why wouldn't it?"

"It's a common tactic, let out the aggression when you choose rather than allowing your anger to decide. I'm sure you've heard the yelling over by the wall at odd hours." Kakuzu has, but seeing as it seemed to be people fighting over a baby name he hadn't actually investigated.

"You mean to tell me this country's ninja just beat each other up when they get angry." It's not a question, it feels like it should be because that's insane but Kakuzu can almost believe it coming from Tobirama. "They just go all out?"

"Terms are common as are keeping some abilities secret. And don't pretend you haven't been holding back your stronger abilities in our sparring." Kakuzu shrugs at the dirty look, he never pretended otherwise. It makes no sense to show someone he might one day be hired to fight exactly what he can do.

"Does it actually work?"

"It's surprisingly effective. What do your nation's shinobi do?"

"I don't know? Bury it? Build a grudge?"

"That sounds unhealthy." Kakuzu shoots him a look for that, they're shinobi. There's no such thing as healthy. Tobirama at least is smirking about it, he knows he's being a little shit.

"What can I say: I'm good at grudges." Tobirama nods and gets to his feet, back turned to Kakuzu because nobody in this village makes fucking sense. Blind spots and battles to solve internal disputes. Kakuzu isn't getting up from where he's settled in to see him off.

"Just think about it."

And Kakuzu does. He thinks about all the ways this could go wrong. He finishes sharpening, honing, polishing, rewrapping ninja wire, sewing his clothes back up meticulously and by then it's early evening. He leaves his room to find one if the communal kitchens hasn't been polished off and takes his rice and fish alone on a rooftop. Konoha is busy and even if his mind is running through different scenarios as impartially as he can manage his body itches for katas or something simple and known to him to release the physical aspects of stress.

Handing his dishes in he stalks back to the tower and the library that is taking shape. He feels both eyes and chakra monitoring him but at least it's not enough to make his skin crawl again. He strides into the mess of teenagers and threatens someone so he can get something to occupy his hands. So he catalogs before determining there are four outcomes that are the most likely should he follow Tobirama's suggestion.

Option one: the best case scenario where this works out like Tobirama said and they all have a happy little catharsis through violence.

Option two: It goes sideways and someone ends up angrier than before.

Option 3: It goes tits up and someone, possibly him, ends up angry and injured.

Option 4: it goes to hell and he makes an enemy of an entire clan because his temper has him maiming the honorable head of the Uchiha for life.

Or he dies. And he decided long ago that while he wants to avoid that it is far from the worst thing that could happen.

Kakuzu's hands move on to the financial records, nothing classified, publicly available budget plans and council meeting notes. His mind moves on to cost-benefit assessment and he loses himself again.

Night comes and he returns to his room, which is blessedly Madara free, and sinks into the pillow. He is restless and Tobirama's suggestion is unsettling. When he fights... Kakuzu has only ever sparred or intended to kill. He's not sure his temper will allow him to break off when it's required.

He wakes early, and recalls no dreams in the pale rising light of the sun, but he knows he had them, the way his heart races as he grasps a kunai as soon as he wakes. Today is the day.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tobirama fought me every step of the way and they just did not want to leave yet. I'm not thrilled about this update but it's been a hot minute and it needed to happen.


End file.
